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Albany felon sentenced on ammo, drug convictions

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — An Albany man who was convicted on ammunition and drugs charges in September 2022 has been sentenced to over five years in prison. A federal jury found Mikal Smith, 28, guilty in September of unlawfully possessing ammunition as a felon and possessing and intending to distribute crack.

The charges were brought against Smith in July 2021, as part of a federal crackdown on gun crimes in New York State. Smith, and six others who had been arrested in June 2021 for illegally possessing guns and ammunition in the Capital Region, were federally indicted as part of the initiative.

According to court documents, the evidence at Smith’s trial showed that on Apr. 7, 2021, he possessed 83 grams of crack, along with a large-capacity magazine loaded with 20 rounds of LC 5.56 ammunition. Prosecutors also proved that Smith was trying to sell the crack.

Smith ditched the drugs and ammunition during a foot chase after Albany Police officers tried to arrest him on a parole warrant. At the time, Smith had felony convictions for second-degree attempted robbery and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. Under federal law, these convictions made it illegal for Smith to own the ammunition.

Once his five years in prison are up, Smith will be on probation for four years. His case was investigated by the Albany Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.